New Honda Civic - thoughts?
Discussion
Coming very early next year apparently. What do people think?
I had a look at one. My initial thoughts were:
There will apparently be a 1.5 turbo version with something like 160bhp, which sounds potentially very interesting.
Interested to hear any views from past owners and indeed from anywhere else.
I will probably decline, unless a stonkingly good deal is offered. I am minded to wait for the estate version...
I had a look at one. My initial thoughts were:
- Looks terrible in pictures on the internet, but the hatchback version looks pretty good in real life, at least in silver.
- The less exterior tat you order, the better it looks.
- Looks uncomfortably like a Focus in side view and rear view. The Jazz reminds me of a Ka/Fiesta, so either it's just me, or Honda have a Ford fetish going on.
- Interior is rather conventional, but very nice, in terms of quality and layout.
- Boot space did not look great. I didn't measure, but it certainly wasn't the physics-defying black hole that is the Jazz boot.
- All-digital dash display. Hooray!
- No magic seats. Boooo!
There will apparently be a 1.5 turbo version with something like 160bhp, which sounds potentially very interesting.
Interested to hear any views from past owners and indeed from anywhere else.
I will probably decline, unless a stonkingly good deal is offered. I am minded to wait for the estate version...
Apparently they are not yet at all the dealers. I'm going to try and take a looksie some time in the next couple of weeks.
I got a sneak preview of one, and in real life it does look rather good in light colours (silver and white).
The 1.5 turbo version has something like 170bhp and a 0-60 time of just over 7 seconds. I reckon this will be the one to go for.
A bonus is that it is built in the UK. With Brexit etc. I wonder if this will make it competitive, price wise, versus imported rivals. And if I was Honda I would be making a huge deal of the fact that it is built in the UK and exported all over the world. I reckon that could get them loads of sales.
Initial reviews seem to be very good. All we need now is for Honda UK to balls it up...
I got a sneak preview of one, and in real life it does look rather good in light colours (silver and white).
The 1.5 turbo version has something like 170bhp and a 0-60 time of just over 7 seconds. I reckon this will be the one to go for.
A bonus is that it is built in the UK. With Brexit etc. I wonder if this will make it competitive, price wise, versus imported rivals. And if I was Honda I would be making a huge deal of the fact that it is built in the UK and exported all over the world. I reckon that could get them loads of sales.
Initial reviews seem to be very good. All we need now is for Honda UK to balls it up...
Thanks a lot for that evsky. It seems to be doing well. I guess this is a very, very important car for Honda.
The 1.5 Sport Plus with CVT is indeed what I'm considering
I must admit, part of the attraction is that it's made in the UK. I'm no jingoist - in fact I'm a second gen immigrant - but I do think it's important to support British industry, and IMHO Honda should make much more of it in their advertising.
A couple of things do annoy me. The lack of magic seats is a shame, but I understand it's to do with moving the fuel tank to get a lower driving position. The cloth trim feels a bit cheap, and if you want leather and the 1.5 engine you have to get the Prestige, which comes with a load of chrome trim that IMHO looks a bit tacky. At this price point I think the cloth should be better.
Everything else seems good. I haven't taken a test drive yet - need to decide if it's what I really want before taking up someone's time...
The 1.5 Sport Plus with CVT is indeed what I'm considering
I must admit, part of the attraction is that it's made in the UK. I'm no jingoist - in fact I'm a second gen immigrant - but I do think it's important to support British industry, and IMHO Honda should make much more of it in their advertising.
A couple of things do annoy me. The lack of magic seats is a shame, but I understand it's to do with moving the fuel tank to get a lower driving position. The cloth trim feels a bit cheap, and if you want leather and the 1.5 engine you have to get the Prestige, which comes with a load of chrome trim that IMHO looks a bit tacky. At this price point I think the cloth should be better.
Everything else seems good. I haven't taken a test drive yet - need to decide if it's what I really want before taking up someone's time...
Saw one at Membury services today, in blue (I think Honda call it Brilliant Sporty Blue or something similarly cringeworthy).
I must say, it looked awesome. The paintwork was lovely. I really like it. Got me thinking about getting a test drive again.
I'm not sold on all the black plastic mesh trim...it's nearly all fake (i.e. there are no actual air intakes behind the "mesh") and it might look a bit untidy once it starts fading.
So far I have seen only two on the road: a red one in SE London where I live, and this blue one.
Like the latest Prius, it's a love hate design. People either think it's awesome, or can't stand it. Nobody says "meh". I like that. Kudos to Honda for going with a brave design in the full knowledge that it will be polarising. By contrast, the Golf design aroses no emotions in me whatsoever, and I can't think of a single thing to say about it, other than "yep, it looks like a Golf".
I must say, it looked awesome. The paintwork was lovely. I really like it. Got me thinking about getting a test drive again.
I'm not sold on all the black plastic mesh trim...it's nearly all fake (i.e. there are no actual air intakes behind the "mesh") and it might look a bit untidy once it starts fading.
So far I have seen only two on the road: a red one in SE London where I live, and this blue one.
Like the latest Prius, it's a love hate design. People either think it's awesome, or can't stand it. Nobody says "meh". I like that. Kudos to Honda for going with a brave design in the full knowledge that it will be polarising. By contrast, the Golf design aroses no emotions in me whatsoever, and I can't think of a single thing to say about it, other than "yep, it looks like a Golf".
Took a test drive of a 1.5 auto Prestige today. Dealer was great, they basically gave me the keys and told me to enjoy.
The handling is seriously brilliant. I drove hard on country roads, sharp turns etc. and simply could not shake it. Really impressive and great fun.
Performance is good. The CVT works very well. But I get the impression that the engine has a big flywheel or something. You release the accelerator and apply the brake and you feel yourself fighting against the engine for a good half second or so. It's a bit unnerving. Maybe I've just been spoilt by the Toyota hybrid systems, which work completely differently. But it felt a bit odd.
NVH was not that great. At motorway speeds there is quite a lot of wind noise. Bumps and potholes are dealt with quite well, though.
The interior is functional but it felt disappointing. Obviously I had seen the interior before the test drive. I thought that on the open road I might learn to live with it. But it does look and feel a bit cheap. The steering wheel controls are particularly bad. The centre console quality is OK but the touchscreen is too small and Honda have clearly saved money by removing a load of physical buttons and auxillary displays. I know that with Hondas you are buying a drivetrain and the interior basically comes for free but I think I would struggle to look at it every day and feel good. And the non-Prestige models come with cloth trim which I really didn't like.
So it's a mixed bag. I could see myself in it. But the problem is that in Sport Plus spec this is a £27k car. To me, the overall package just doesn't feel like £27k. If the NVH and interior were better I could justify it.
Reluctantly, I think I am going to decline.
The handling is seriously brilliant. I drove hard on country roads, sharp turns etc. and simply could not shake it. Really impressive and great fun.
Performance is good. The CVT works very well. But I get the impression that the engine has a big flywheel or something. You release the accelerator and apply the brake and you feel yourself fighting against the engine for a good half second or so. It's a bit unnerving. Maybe I've just been spoilt by the Toyota hybrid systems, which work completely differently. But it felt a bit odd.
NVH was not that great. At motorway speeds there is quite a lot of wind noise. Bumps and potholes are dealt with quite well, though.
The interior is functional but it felt disappointing. Obviously I had seen the interior before the test drive. I thought that on the open road I might learn to live with it. But it does look and feel a bit cheap. The steering wheel controls are particularly bad. The centre console quality is OK but the touchscreen is too small and Honda have clearly saved money by removing a load of physical buttons and auxillary displays. I know that with Hondas you are buying a drivetrain and the interior basically comes for free but I think I would struggle to look at it every day and feel good. And the non-Prestige models come with cloth trim which I really didn't like.
So it's a mixed bag. I could see myself in it. But the problem is that in Sport Plus spec this is a £27k car. To me, the overall package just doesn't feel like £27k. If the NVH and interior were better I could justify it.
Reluctantly, I think I am going to decline.
Yes, it's the 1.5 turbo engine.
Having slept on it, maybe I was a bit too harsh. There is a lot to like about the car. Performance is very good. Handling is amazing. It has some of that old-school Honda feel, where you feel properly connected to the machine and the road. I can't describe it well but perhaps you know what I mean. I love the looks, while appreciating that others won't. Apart from the interior, it feels solid. The TFT instrument cluster is great. It's built in the UK.
The Sport+ costs a lot, but in its defense, it comes with things like LED headlights and a proper opening sunroof, which are optional extras on its competitors.
But my criticisms stand. I think I could be persuaded, but I will wait to see what the dealer can do.
There appears to be very little UK availability. The sales person said that the unpopular colours could be delivered this month and for everything else there was a 20 week wait. Not much in between. So presumably there is a big pool of Civics in "you'll never sell that, mate" colours that they need to shift, and for everything else you have to get a build slot, and given that nearly all the Civics that Swindon makes are going to the US, you are going to have to wait some time.
I'm not waiting 20 weeks for a Civic unless the deal is mind-blowing.
Having slept on it, maybe I was a bit too harsh. There is a lot to like about the car. Performance is very good. Handling is amazing. It has some of that old-school Honda feel, where you feel properly connected to the machine and the road. I can't describe it well but perhaps you know what I mean. I love the looks, while appreciating that others won't. Apart from the interior, it feels solid. The TFT instrument cluster is great. It's built in the UK.
The Sport+ costs a lot, but in its defense, it comes with things like LED headlights and a proper opening sunroof, which are optional extras on its competitors.
But my criticisms stand. I think I could be persuaded, but I will wait to see what the dealer can do.
There appears to be very little UK availability. The sales person said that the unpopular colours could be delivered this month and for everything else there was a 20 week wait. Not much in between. So presumably there is a big pool of Civics in "you'll never sell that, mate" colours that they need to shift, and for everything else you have to get a build slot, and given that nearly all the Civics that Swindon makes are going to the US, you are going to have to wait some time.
I'm not waiting 20 weeks for a Civic unless the deal is mind-blowing.
evsky said:
AmitG there is stock of every colour in the Sport Plus - and in the Prestige the longest you'll wait is until the end of March.
The sales person you spoke to may not have wanted to sell you the car lol.
That's entirely possible The sales person you spoke to may not have wanted to sell you the car lol.
My guess is that they wanted to shift some of their existing stock on a 67 plate.
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